Love and other Drugs
by Norwegian-Pirate
Summary: Tony was drugged and raped, though the tabloids suggest otherwise. Warnings: Non-con, foul language, some explicit content.


**_Title_**: Love and other drugs  
**_Author_**: Norwegian-Pirate

**_Pairing_**: Bruce/Tony/Pepper  
**_Summary:_** Tony was drugged and raped, though the tabloids suggest otherwise.

**_Warnings_**: Non-con, foul language, some explicit content  
**_Rating_**: R – just in case

_**A/N: **_Fill for **avengerkink**. Prompt can be found here.  
I do apologise that the characters may seem a bit ooc, since this was the first fic I wrote for this fandom.  
Also, sorry for potential grammar and spelling-mistakes. This is un-betaed and English is not my first language.

Otherwise, enjoy!

It wasn't the first time he'd woken up feeling disoriented and with shit for brains. It happened quite frequently, in fact, like last week when the Avengers had a mission involving Loki and a good deal of frost-giants. The demigod and his minions bashed them around a bit before Thor gone hammer time on their asses. That's the explanation Clint had given Coulson, anyway.

He groaned, sitting up in the strange bed, nausea sweeping over him like a tidal wave during a monsoon._ Something's not right, _he thought as he noticed his phone lying on the bedside table, along with a keycard and a note that said,

_I had a good time last night._

He froze; a feeling of dread and panic blooming in his stomach as the words registered and brought up memories from the night before. He'd been out with Pepper on an art-exhibition which Stark industries had graciously sponsored. He remembered that Pepper went to the bathroom, but the rest was just... flashes. He'd been dragged away by a man, a stranger, and taken here. They had – he had... Oh god.

Dried blood mixed with semen was sticking to his legs and it was too much and he was sick on the dirty carpet by the bed. He lay there for a while, dry-heaving, while the block of ice which had settled within him failed to dissipate with the rest of the content which had been in his stomach.

There was a knock on the door and he jerked, having not considered that his captor might still be in the room. He knew it was a stupid move, but he called, "Hello?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll come back later," Sounded a woman's voice from the other side and Tony let out a breath, a little relieved that it had just been the maid. Whoever had brought him here seemed to have left.

"It's alright, thanks," He said, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. He listened as she walked away before he fell back into the pillows, noticing for the first time the state of the room. It was plain, simple, but not overly clean and one of the wooden chairs was overturned in the corner. His clothes were lying in a hazard on the floor, along with used condoms.

He turned away from the sight, not willing to really accept reality yet and the fact that he, Tony Stark, had been taken, used and thrown away like another – no, he'd rather not think about it.

His phone rang and he jumped, having completely forgotten its presence. With trembling hands he picked up the phone,

"Yes?"

"Mr. Stark," it was a young woman, "I'm calling from the Daily Planet. Would you mind an interview about what transpired tonight?"

Tony stilled, not really believing what he was hearing, "What?"

"Yes, about your recent affair. Is it true that you and Ms. Potts – " He hung up.

_Fuck, Pepper_.

He scrambled from bed, noticing the first time that blood and cum wasn't the only thing he was covered in. Bruises littered his arms, legs, hips and back. He winced, trying to ignore them as he started to collect his clothes from the floor. There was after all other things to worry about at the moment.

The bathroom was small, but big enough for Tony to wash. The shower was cold and beating down hard on his back, but he didn't mind. The only thing that seemed to matter at the moment was to talk to Pepper. Face to face and preferably clean.

Tony stumbled out of the bathroom fully clothed, though not looking too good. He had checked the mirror earlier and he looked like he'd cuddled with an angry Hulk.

He sighed and walked reluctantly towards the table where his phone lay, blinking with a dozen voice-mails left unanswered. He scrolled quickly through them, but none of them was from Pepper. He was about to put the phone away when a familiar number caught his eyes. Quickly, he opened it and listened, bile rising in his throat as Steve's voice sounded from the small speakers.

"_Tony, what were you thinking?! No, wait, you didn't, right? We've got paparazzi surrounding the tower! We had to get Thor to threaten them with Mjølner to get them away when Pepper came here looking for you. Jesus – Tony, she's heartbroken. Call me when you get this so one of us can come pick you up... You better have a good explanation for this; you really do Tony." _

The message ended and Tony stared into nothing. Wow, that was just... He slumped onto the bed, fearing that his legs might give in again. Everyone thought that he'd gone along voluntarily and now the tabloids were on his case and... Fuck, this was getting out of hand.

He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the call he was about to make.

"_Hello?" _

"Bruce,"

It had been Coulson who had come to pick him up. Tony didn't know whether to be relieved it wasn't any of the others or terrified. He knew how well the agent and Pepper got along and despite being only a human; Coulson had surprised them on several occasions. Also, his unofficial role as the Avengers nanny made him a person to be feared and respected.

Now though, his face betrayed nothing as he led Tony onto the roof where a chopper was waiting for them. Coulson explained that the lobby was practically swarming with paparazzi, making it impossible for SHIELD to bring Tony back to the Tower without anyone noticing.

The flight had been strained and Tony mostly wanted to curl in on himself and stay that way until this was over, but he knew he couldn't. He had tried to explain to Coulson, desperately wanting – _needing_ – to talk to someone, but the agent had broken him off and told him that Pepper deserved to hear it first.

Everyone was waiting for them at the roof of the Tower as they descended. Tony was torn between wanting hide and cling to his team forever, not ever stepping out of the door unless in his suit. It never ended well.

Pepper had been crying; her eyes were red and her hair was a mess, though Tony knew that these tears were not tears of joy, unlike the time he'd been returned home from Afghanistan, and he felt himself almost tearing up himself at the sight of her.

"Pepper," he choked as he jumped out of the helicopter, wincing as he landed. His captor had torn him up, which was the reason for the blood, Tony supposed, as he limped towards his former assistant.

She was silent, though her arms were crossed across her chest and her whole stance screamed defensiveness.

It was Steve who stepped in, stopping Tony in his path, "I'd like to hear your explanation," he demanded, though not entirely unkind.

Bruce also took a step forward, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder, "Inside," he said to the rest of them, leading the engineer and Pepper towards the living-room, the others not far behind.

"Sit," Bruce said to Tony, who jerked slightly as he sat down on the big couch.  
"Care to explain this?" He asked softly, showing Tony a battered newspaper, which obviously had been passed around many times.

The heading screamed up at him in big, bold letters '_TONY STARK CAUGHT CHEATING'_, and his breath hitched in his throat as a picture of him and another man caught his eye. The man was tall, practically holding Tony upright, though it was almost impossible to tell what condition the latter was in, seeing as his face was almost hidden from view due to the other man looming over and kissing him.

"Fuck," he managed before he folded in on himself, the memories from last night becoming clear and vivid.

Tony had always been a very private man due to his rough childhood and exposure to media since day one, but as things came back to him, the sensations, the pain, _fucking everything_, his walls crumbled.

He felt like crying, but Tony Stark didn't fucking cry because of something like this.  
Instead, he laughed. A hollow, hysterical laugh – and if it bordered onto sobbing as arms slipped around him, he certainly didn't acknowledge or notice it.

"Tony," it was Bruce, "We need to know what happened,"

He took a deep, shuddering breath as he looked up at his team. _Friends. Family._

They were all looking at him, concerned, even Natasha seemed worried about his current state. And it reassured him to know that they cared enough to listen to him, instead of just blowing him off and telling him that they should have known. Once a whore, always a fucking whore, right?

"When you went to the bathroom," he said to Pepper, his voice shaking, "There was this man – Jack Napier, I think – who began talking to me. Naturally, I ignored him, but he was persistent, kept following me around and, I suppose, he must have slipped something into my drink,"

It was bordering onto ridiculous. Things like this didn't happen to grown men, it just didn't. He was supposed to protect the world, but he couldn't even protect himself from a semi-professional rapist?

The others were silent though, waiting for him to continue.

"It's a bit of a blur after that. I couldn't find you and suddenly I was in another part of the city, at the hotel I woke up in. I can remember –"He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry and raspy, "him taking me to the bed, but I wasn't in control at all and he... turned me over and – "_pounded into me over and over again. Made sure I was broken, before he left me alone, torn and bruised. _

It was a different kind of pain than anything he'd ever felt. It wasn't the physical pain itself, but that someone had taken him over so completely and he was defenceless against it stirred so many unwanted emotions in him. Emotions he had worked hard on suppressing ever since he was a child.

"Listen," He said, looking at his hands and avoiding the others gaze, "I know it sounds... insane and utterly ridiculous, but this man... he got one over me, alright? It probably doesn't mean anything, coming from me and all, but please – I would never do anything to hurt you Pepper, nor any other of you. Just... _please_," The last words were barely audible.

There was a moment, an excruciating moment, where everyone was silent. Tony had yet to look up at his friends; didn't dare to see their faces. Especially Pepper, who put with all his shit all the time and if something was going to push her over the edge, this was it, whether she choose to believe him or not it was still a hurtful blow.

He was snapped out of his depressing thoughts as a loud bang sounded, echoing through the living-room and getting everyone's abrupt attention. The sound had been Thor who apparently had smashed the table with his hammer. Seeing the demigod so visibly upset was a rare sight. His whole face was twisted in a grimace, obviously conflicted about feeling bad about the table and furious of what had transpired.

"I apologise for my rash behaviour," he said without his usual gusto, walking back to the rest group which had gathered around Tony, who truly noticed their reactions for the first time since they'd all entered the room.

The Avengers was and would always be a group of unique individuals who handled things very differently yet had a great connection with each other and that made them work as a team. Right now though, the emotions and actions that usually made them differ from each other as the Avengers seemed to have dissolved, leaving behind a scorned family. And Tony felt the chunk of ice that had been residing in his stomach from when he woke up melt a little, because he knew that they wouldn't leave him, at least.

"Phil," Steve said, turning towards the agent who had kept a little at bay as the Avengers had gathered themselves around Tony. "How long would it take you to find Jack Napier's exact location?"

The smirk that flashed over Coulson's face bordered on predatory, "It should take less than a minute, Captain."

"Good." Steve began moving towards the door, but not before placing a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder "I'm sorry," and he was gone.

Natasha, Clint, Coulson and Thor soon followed, each with their own words of comfort and reassurance, leaving Bruce and Pepper alone with Tony.

"Tony," it was the first time Pepper had spoken since Tony had gotten back, and he almost panicked about what she was about to say. "When I first heard the news this morning, I was devastated. I didn't really know what to do with myself or what to do about you. To be honest, I didn't want to believe it, because you're simply not that person anymore, but the proof was right _there, _but... I just –"she broke herself off and took a deep breath to calm herself, "I know you Tony, and despite what most people think, yourself included, I know you're a good person. I also know that you'd never intentionally hurt me or Bruce or the rest of the Avengers, because we're your family and that matters to you." And then she hugged him. One of those big, loving hugs only she was able to give.

"Pepper," Tony breathed into her red hair, the tension which had him on edge the whole day seeping out of his body, leaving him completely exhausted and ready to fall over where he sat between his two friends.

She let him go, but held his face between her hands, looking into his eyes, her own shining with unshed tears, "Oh god, I am so sorry," she whispered, stroking his cheek and he kissed the inside of her palm.

They could work around this. This... _thing_ didn't have to be the end of them and if it was up to Tony, it most certainly wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"I am sorry too," Bruce said quietly, as if to not interrupt the moment between the couple, but still needed to let Tony know that he too wouldn't let this affect their friendship.

Tony didn't say anything, afraid that he might tear up again if he did, though now from different reason than before. Silently, he gripped Bruce's hand in his own, squeezing gently to let the scientist to know he was alright. Though he wasn't really, but now that he knew that he had his family to look out for him he felt that things might be alright again, in time.

Two months had passed since that day and Tony had yet to fully recover from the Jack Napier-episode. Pepper had insisted that he'd go see a therapist, but he refused and said that he didn't need one after having been held captive by terrorists and he certainly didn't need one now. She had rolled her eyes at him, but pecked him on the lips with a fond smile on her face.

Their relationship continued as it had before though had a somewhat strained undertone because of the lack of intimacy recently. Tony blamed it on the fact that he still struggled with physical contact beyond hugging and affectionate touches after being drugged and raped. Pepper understood, though it didn't make them any less sexually frustrated. They had gotten as far as the bed before Tony freaked and left, hiding in the lab until Bruce found him there a while later.

"I'm not sure if I can do this anymore, Bruce," Tony had said, hugging his legs to his chest, making himself as small as possible under the table which he was hiding under.

Bruce had remained silent and ducked down beneath it as well, one of his arms around the shorter man's shoulders. Tony tilted his head, resting it on the scientist own shoulder and sighed, relaxing into the other man's touch.

"Pepper's not mad at you, you know," Bruce muttered after a while, carefully threading his fingers through Tony's hair.

"I know,"

Things changed after that, and not in an entirely bad way if Tony got to say so himself. Bruce was a rock and soon enough he and Tony grew closer, their friendship developing into something more none of them dared name or think about yet.

Tony was especially conflicted, since he still had feelings for Pepper, but at the same time these new feelings for Bruce wasn't entirely unwelcome. Bruce had after all been a good friend and a rock for Tony when he felt like he was going to be swept away by the occasional bouts of panic he experienced.

Tonight, two months after, his panic attack had been particularly bad courtesy of their latest villain who had the ability to gain access to your darkest memories and secrets. The villain had taunted, not only about the rape, but also about Howard;

"What would daddy dearest say if he knew his son was a whore? And a weak one at that," the man had sneered, at Tony who felt his chest burning with anger and flied into the villain with 100% power in his suit while brutally hitting the living daylights out of him.

It had been Natasha who stopped him, calling to him through the intercom in that calm voice of hers that was guaranteed to stop even the Hulk in his tracks.

The Avengers brought him back to the Tower, each of them haunted about the resent events, so Tony did not expect Bruce to help him to his room when Tony practically stumbled out of his Iron Man – suit, still shaken from the memories the villain of the week had showed in his face.

"What happened?" Pepper said worried as she saw them enter. She quickly ran over, helping Bruce supporting Tony as they moved towards the big bed in the room.

"Relapse," Bruce muttered.

"I'm fine," Tony snapped, trying to shake the two of them off, but their grip was firm and his legs had trouble supporting him on their own.

"No, you're obviously not," Pepper tightened her grip on his arm as they carefully sat the engineer down on the bed, fully clothed.

Tony just sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with her. "Fine," he yawned, curling in on himself, while Bruce removed his shoes. Pepper also crawled into the bed, cuddling into him, her face pressed into his chest, the cool arc reactor lighting up her face.

"If you're both alright, I'll just leave," Bruce said, giving them a small smile as he watched the couple.

"Stay," Tony said before he even realised that he'd thought about it. Slowly looking from Bruce's surprised face and down to Pepper's, he realised that she was giving him a gentle smile and a nod.

"It's alright," she told him, "Bruce, would you like to stay?" she asked, and Tony looked over at the other man, who, with a stunned expression on his face, nodded carefully, before slipping into bed as well, surprisingly gentle as he spooned Tony and slipped his arms around the both of them.

"Thank you," Tony whispered, feeling the chunk of ice that had settled in his stomach two months ago finally melt away and he _knew_ that they were going to be alright. All of them.

* * *

"Hey, Steve," Bruce called, catching up with the other man who was about to enter the training room. He had managed to calm Tony and Pepper down enough to convince them to go to sleep. Both were obviously exhausted after this whole ordeal. He hadn't left their side until he heard the others return later that evening and he went to search for one of them, wondering what had transpired while he and Pepper had been busy trying to reassure Tony that they were not going to leave him, now or ever.

"Bruce – Tony and Pepper alright?" Steve asked, concern clouding his features.

"They're alright. Well, as alright you can be after such a thing, I suppose. Shaken, but alright... for now. They are currently resting,"

"That's... good." Steve sighed, drawing a hand through his hair. "Bruce, I'm worried. You know this won't just pass. This will probably haunt him for the rest of his life."

"I know," Bruce said quietly, "but this is Tony. He's strong, and though he might struggle for a while, he'll get through it eventually, because that's just the way he is. And he has us to look out for him as well,"

Steve smiled, if only just a little, "Yeah, because family look after each other, am I right?"

"Right," Bruce returned the smile. "So tell me, what exactly _did_ you guys do to this Jack Napier?"

The predatory grin that stretched over Steve's face was all the answer Bruce needed.

"Good."


End file.
